In the documentary, Alvaro Morata said that the moment he missed a great chance against the Dortmund goalkeeper in the second leg of the 2023/24 Champions League quarter-finals destroyed him. The final result was a 4-5 loss that eliminated Atletico, and he spent a long time in the dressing room just crying.
Suffering from being a sinner, Morata became even more stressed by the media pressure and criticism and insults aimed at him and his family. Morata's wife, Alice Campello, revealed that the insults came from anywhere, at the stadium, on the street or on social networks. All of this made Morata collapse. "He told me that just touching the ball made him nervous," said Campello.
Morata said: “I was afraid of everything. I had a lot of terrible and self-destructive thoughts. I even thought about faking an injury to avoid being called up for EURO 2024. My mind was thinking of all sorts of things to avoid the things that were making me miserable."
According to Morata, his depression started to worsen towards the end of the 2023/24 season at Atletico. |
At the urging of his wife, Morata saw a psychiatrist for treatment and medication. He also received support from former teammate Andres Iniesta, who suffered from depression as a child, and Luis de la Fuente, the Spain coach who said he needed him to complete the squad.
Morata overcame a stressful period and led la Roja to the EURO 2024 championship, then left Spain, moving to Italy to play for Milan (playing the second half of last season on loan to Galatasaray).
"After winning the EURO, I think people will respect us more," said the La Roja captain. However, the boos still appeared, and exploded again after the 2024/25 Nations League final against Portugal. In the penalty shootout, Morata's shot was too soft and simple, making it easy for goalkeeper Diego Costa to save.
Morata once thought that winning the EURO championship would help improve the situation. |
"I can only blame myself for the bad shot. I felt sorry for my teammates and wanted to cry out loud," he recalled, then thought about his future in the national team.
"Is it worth it that every time I return to Spain with my family, it is an unpleasant experience of ridicule, insults and laughter," Morata said. "And, is it worth it to wear the national team shirt only to receive insults and boos? I think it is not worth it. Most likely I will not be in the team in the next training session."
Having made his debut for the national team in 2014, Morata has made 86 appearances for La Roja and is fourth on the all-time goalscoring list with 37 goals. He needs just one more goal to equal Fernando Torres' record and move into third place.
Thanh Hai
Source: https://tienphong.vn/dan-vat-sau-qua-phat-den-hong-an-o-chung-ket-nations-league-thu-quan-morata-de-ngo-kha-nang-gia-tu-dt-tay-ban-nha-post1752029.tpo
Comment (0)